About Us

Asia is a dynamic world region and its cultures and societies are a complex mix of both ancient traditions and modern ideas. Asia has the fastest growing economy in the world and is the birthplace of many of our new technologies. Asia is rapidly changing, democratizing, and internationalizing in ways that present both perils and possibilities for people across the globe.

Asian Studies is an interdisciplinary program that helps students understand the diverse histories, politics, economies, cultures, religions, arts and literatures of Asia. In the Villanova Asian Studies Program, undergraduates learn to examine the world and themselves through the lens of another language and culture. The program encourages in-depth study while also promoting more general inquiry into fundamental issues, such as cultural difference and its social and political implications. The program offers them not only specialized knowledge and appreciation of a region that has had, and will undoubtedly continue to have, a profound impact on the material and spiritual wellbeing of humanity but also prepares them to play their own roles in the Asian Century.

About Villanova

Villanova University was founded in 1842 by the Order of St. Augustine. To this day, Villanova’s Augustinian Catholic intellectual tradition is the cornerstone of an academic community in which students learn to think critically, act compassionately and succeed while serving others. There are more than 10,000 undergraduate, graduate and law students in the University’s six colleges.